Nothing To Be Embarrassed About
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: Some of the bots and humans help Ironhide see that being ticklish isn't something to be embarrassed over. Done as a request for BBPRIMEFAN101. :)


**BBPRIMEFAN101 asked for this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy! :)**

 **Transformers G1 belongs to Hasbro. I own nothing.**

* * *

 **Nothing To Be Embarrassed About**

Ironhide felt his knee lock up again and he hid a groan, but did quietly grunt. Since the skirmish with the Decepticons earlier that week, his knee had been acting up and he sighed, sitting down and bending his knee back and forth to try and get it to stop acting up.

Spike, who at the ARK with his dad, found the red-armored mech sitting down and groaning a bit. "Ironhide, are you okay?" The teenage boy asked.

The mech looked down at the boy with a gentle smile. "I'm fine, Spike," he drawled. "Just an old injury acting up."

Spike winced and Ironhide grunted as the screech of metal on metal suddenly sounded out and the mech gritted his teeth. "Shoot! I think the joint in my knee gave out," he said.

Bumblebee, who had come around the corner in time to hear the awful sound, covered his ears and winced too. "Ironhide?" He asked.

"I'm fine, Bee," the mech said.

"That didn't sound fine, 'Hide," the smaller mech said.

"Ah, he's just being stubborn," Sparkplug said as he came around the corner with Blaster, Jazz, and Ratchet behind him. "Although it does sound like that joint needs some major oiling."

"It needs more than that," said Ratchet. "Ironhide's overdue for his maintenance check."

Ironhide would have said something, but when he went to stand up, the sound of screeching metal boomed off the walls and the pain made him cry out and sit back down hard. Blaster and Jazz immediately went over to their friend and helped him stand up. "Keep off that bad leg, 'Hide," Jazz said. "Blaster and I will get you to the medbay."

The older bot didn't argue as the two supported him while Ratchet followed them to the medbay with Bumblebee, Sparkplug, and Spike following the medic in concern. Ironhide was relieved when his friends helped him sit down on the berth, but winced when Ratchet began examining the joint. The medic shook his head. "Ironhide, this joint is worn down completely," he said. "When was the last time you had a maintenance check?"

"The last time you performed them, which I think was…two weeks ago?" Ironhide asked.

"True, I did, but I don't remember tending to you and I would have noticed your knee joint going out if I had."

At that, the red mech actually looked away, making his friends feel concern. "Ratchet may get busy, but he'd never miss that in a checkup," said Jazz.

Ratchet shook his head. "Alright, 'Hide, lay down," he commanded gently and the bot didn't protest, but he still grimaced a little as some pulleys in his neck were strained as a result. Bumblebee noticed.

"Ironhide, what happened?" The yellow bot asked, gently placing a concerned hand on one side of his friend's neck. The mech jolted at the light touch, making Bumblebee jump. "Sorry," he said apologetically.

Ratchet, however, grew thoughtful. "Bumblebee, do that again," he requested.

Confused, the small mech did as the medic asked. Ironhide again jolted at the light touch and his mouth twitched. Spike, who had been watching closely, now went wide eyed. "Guys, I think he's ticklish," he said.

Blaster's face took on a look of surprise before he began laughing. "That's why it seemed familiar," he managed to say before he straightened up and got his laughter under control. "Rewind does the same thing when I tickle him."

A whine came from Blaster's chest, which told them the small cassette was inside his guardian's tape-deck like chest and had heard that. "Hey, come on, Rewind," Blaster said in a comforting voice. "Nothing wrong with being ticklish."

Ratchet was watching Ironhide's face and he now smiled. "That's why you're overdue for your maintenance check," he said with a smile. "I forgot that you're quite ticklish, Ironhide."

The mech groaned. "Don't tease me about it," he drawled, looking very embarrassed.

Jazz chuckled. "Hey, come on, man," he said. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"It's just something that is part of life," Spike said, letting out a laugh as Blaster gently poked his side and the young man squirmed away, smiling the entire time. "See? Even I'm ticklish."

"Don't tell Wheeljack that," Bumblebee said. "He is a pro at sneaking up on and tickling us."

Jazz laughed at that. "That bot got me just a few days ago. Nearly made me jump out of my circuits," he admitted.

Spike and Sparkplug politely kept their laughter quiet, which Bumblebee and Blaster chuckled. Even Ratchet chuckled. "Wheeljack's stealth in that manner comes in handy when the Twins give me trouble about getting maintenance checks too," he said.

Hearing them admitting they were ticklish was actually helping Ironhide to be less embarrassed by it. "And we all know Bee's ticklish," Blaster said, wiggling his fingers lightly into his companion's sides and making him jump and laugh. "Even Ramhorn is ticklish."

"Really?" Spike asked in surprise, waiting for Ramhorn to deny it, but the cassette was quiet.

"You bet," the boom-box Autobot said with a smile.

"So what?" Ramhorn grumbled, finally speaking. "Steeljaw's more ticklish that me."

Steeljaw snarled in reply, making them all laugh as they knew the robotic cat was adamantly denying that. "Alright you four, settle down," Blaster chuckled, sending them a feeling of warm affection through the guardian-charge bond he shared with them.

Ratchet turned back to Ironhide. "Prime's even gotten me a few times to get me to stop working so much," he admitted.

Spike smiled. "It's a good thing you're ticklish, Ratchet," he said.

The medic turned to him. "Why do you say that?" He asked.

"Well, it means you guys have feelings too," the boy said. "I bet if the Decepticons were ticklish, they wouldn't be so cold in nature."

"The kid's got a point," Jazz said, gently ruffling Spike's hair playfully. "You think that might work?"

"I'm not sure I want to get close enough to find out," Bumblebee admitted.

Ratchet chuckled. "Considering Spike was making a point, I'll let his statement slide this once," he said without heat. "However, this is going to be rather painful for Ironhide. Would anyone be willing to…cheer him up?"

For the entire time Ratchet worked on the knee joint to remove the old one and replace it, Ironhide was in stitches as Bumblebee, Jazz, and Blaster tickled him and Blaster let Rewind and Eject join in the fun while Spike and Sparkplug also joined in.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The red mech laughed, unable to move to get away as Ratchet kept his left leg in a firm grip before he replaced the knee joint and oiled it, carefully bending it until it moved smoothly, to which of course the medic couldn't resist and gently tickled the back of Ironhide's knee, which made the poor mech jump in surprise and laugh harder before they let him up and Ratchet gave him the okay. Bumblebee quickly, but gently, grabbed Spike and Sparkplug and started running.

"Hey, Bee. What's wrong? Decepticon alert?" Spike asked.

Bumblebee shook his head. "One thing about Ironhide: if you tell him something for his own good, he's going to use those words right back at you," he said.

"Got that right, Bumblebee," Ironhide drawled as he caught the smaller mech. "And you're first."

The tickle fight that ensued in Ratchet's medbay was probably one the medic would be smiling about for a long time.

* * *

 **Please leave a review, but no flames!**

 **GoldGuardian2418**


End file.
